Chapter Fifty-Three: The Servant—On Furnina and Lu Mingfei

Now, the only variable left was Lu Mingfei, that man suspected of having ties to Nibelungen.

What conditions did he require to pull me into a dream? Could he grant Furina strength? Would his dark power corrode Furina, or this world? Would my body suffer irreversible effects from that power?

Though information was scarce, one thing was clear: Lu Mingfei likely lacked the ability to kill her outright, and his powers seemed subject to certain constraints—otherwise, he would have acted sooner, not waited so long after Furina’s assassination attempt to make his move.

The servant’s contact with Lu Mingfei had been brief, but from subtle details she could tell his relationship with Furina was anything but ordinary—they were very close.

If, when Furina was first attacked, they’d been able to communicate in time and Lu Mingfei could have intervened, he surely would have. He would never have waited until now to act. What’s more, the first time Furina entered the dream today, the terror on her face seemed genuine; she appeared unaware of Lu Mingfei’s presence.

Conclusion: they cannot communicate at will, or Lu Mingfei cannot act at will.

Beyond that, the way Lu Mingfei and Furina communicated was also in question.

Lu Mingfei was someone from outside this world. He could communicate through dreams. Thus, perhaps dream communication was their only channel of contact. Under normal circumstances, it was highly unlikely Furina could reach him—after all, cross-world communication could not possibly be realized anytime and anywhere.

If this was the case, then Furina’s inability to get help from Lu Mingfei during the attack became perfectly understandable—she simply couldn’t contact him because she wasn’t dreaming. That day, she could only run in despair.

Conclusion: falling into a dream is a prerequisite for communication.

Moreover, the servant believed their dream communication must be time-limited—they could only speak during a particular window, though she could not determine when that was.

If Furina and Lu Mingfei could communicate anytime in dreams, his retribution would never have come so late.

Conclusion: a special time is required for communication.

The logic checks out!

The more rationally she analyzed, the more the servant felt Furina was bluffing. She likely could no longer communicate with Lu Mingfei—the window had closed.

In truth, Furina was in a weak position, but even so, she had to project strength. Only by pretending to be strong and escorting her, at her weakest, to Meropide Fortress could she buy herself time—enough to drag matters out until her next meeting with Lu Mingfei.

But...

There was still a problem.

Why was Lu Mingfei able to pull her into the dream twice today? Surely it wasn’t just because she took another nap. That was impossible—absolutely impossible! If Lu Mingfei could so easily draw her into dreams, why not kill her with dreams again and again until she was truly dead? Or simply warn her in a dream, force a negotiation?

After all, she herself had requested negotiations, but Lu Mingfei ignored her, following Furina’s wishes and killing her outright.

He had no intention of letting me live.

And yet, I survived.

Is it possible that, though dream attacks carried a heavy burden for Lu Mingfei, he could use them multiple times in a short span if he paid a price? Is that why he couldn’t kill me outright, forcing Furina to use this roundabout method?

Surely it couldn’t be that he wanted to kill me one moment, and the next, after chatting with Furina, changed his mind. Impossible. Absolutely impossible!

One final puzzle remained—the servant could not fathom how Lu Mingfei managed to drag her into Furina’s dream. He couldn’t possibly have known of her existence and simply reached across worlds to pull her in.

If he was truly capable of that, his power would be far too great. With such formidable tracking, how could he only meet Furina once in a short period?

Perhaps Furina had left some mark on her, unbeknownst to the servant, and Lu Mingfei tracked her through it, drawing her into the dream.

This seemed the most likely scenario.

Though Furina was no water god, she had played the part for years; it was unsurprising she possessed a few unique tricks.

To play the water god flawlessly for five centuries without any special abilities—such a feat was beyond even the servant’s imagination; she couldn’t conceive what kind of person could do such a thing. Compared to that, she preferred to believe Furina had hidden talents.

Conclusion: Judgment—advantage, mine!

…

“Huh? The servant wants a public trial?”

Furina exclaimed instinctively, her small eyes wide with bewilderment.

She simply couldn’t comprehend why the servant would wish for such a thing. Normally, if one were caught attempting to assassinate the Archon, wouldn’t they try to keep it quiet? Why would she want such a matter dragged into the open?

Was there something wrong with her?

Did she think she hadn’t embarrassed herself enough already? Hadn’t the servant been killed twice just today? Why, after being killed twice, would she want to be publicly judged? Did she have some peculiar trait?

“Yes, those were her exact words in the city center of Fontaine. I suspect there’s an ulterior motive here—we must be cautious,” Neuvillette said.

“That’s possible. I’ll be careful.”

“Lady Furina, may I ask—how much power do you have left? If the servant lashes out unexpectedly during the trial, are you able to defend yourself?” Neuvillette asked gravely.

“I… I have a little, I suppose?”

Furina’s voice grew much softer, her confidence wavering. The dream tapir was indeed formidable—capable of pulling the distant servant into the dream and killing her—but it only worked while she slept. During the trial at the opera house…

She coughed lightly, her eyes shining as she looked to Neuvillette. “Oh, but aren’t you going to be there? With your protection, I’ll be perfectly fine. Perhaps… you might sit a little closer to me?”

“Sigh…”

Neuvillette let out a helpless sigh. He could guess that the escape ability Furina used during the assassination attempt was not something she could reveal publicly, and her combat prowess was questionable, so she still relied on his protection.

If it was a sudden sneak attack, perhaps she could cope—but if the servant openly challenged her to a duel, could she respond?

Most likely not.

If Furina truly possessed a hidden, powerful strength, the servant could never have escaped unscathed after the assassination attempt. Perhaps it was precisely this that emboldened the servant to demand a public trial, hoping to force their hand.

The Fatui executive—truly not to be underestimated.